Betutu
Photo: casey yancey from brooklyn · CC BY 2.0

History

Betutu is the Balinese word for a spice mixture of shallots, garlic, turmeric, ginger, galangal, candlenuts, chillies and shrimp paste, and it names the dish: ayam betutu is chicken, bebek betutu duck. Regional styles differ: the bird is stuffed with spices in Klungkung and Karangasem and wrapped in plantain leaf in Gianyar. Cooks traditionally buried the wrapped bird in a pit of embers, up to 24 hours for a duck. Nasi Ayam Kedewatan, near Ubud, has sold betutu chicken rice since 1963.

Common allergens: Peanuts, Shellfish

Make it at home

Yield Serves 4Hands-on 30 minTotal 3 hr 45 minDifficulty Intermediate

Ingredients

  • 1 whole chicken, 1.2 to 1.5kg
  • 8 shallots
  • 6 garlic cloves
  • 30g fresh turmeric
  • 30g galangal
  • 20g ginger
  • 20g kencur (lesser galangal), if available
  • 4 to 8 red chillies, to taste
  • 3 candlenuts, or macadamias
  • 1 tsp coriander seeds, plus a pinch each of cumin, ground clove and nutmeg
  • 1 lemongrass stalk, white part only, and 3 kaffir lime leaves
  • 1 tsp shrimp paste (optional), 1 tsp palm sugar, salt
  • 3 tbsp coconut oil
  • Banana leaves to wrap, or baking parchment and foil

Method

  1. Blend the shallots, garlic, turmeric, galangal, ginger, kencur, chillies, candlenuts, spices, lemongrass, lime leaves, shrimp paste, sugar and salt to a smooth paste.
  2. Fry the paste in the coconut oil over medium heat for 5 to 8 minutes, until fragrant and the raw smell has gone, then let it cool.
  3. Rub the paste over and inside the chicken and marinate for at least 1 hour, overnight if you can.
  4. Wrap the chicken tightly in softened banana leaf, or parchment and foil, and set it in a baking dish with a splash of water.
  5. Bake at 150C for about 2 hours, until the meat pulls from the bone.
  6. Rest for 10 minutes, then unwrap at the table and serve with rice, sambal matah and steamed greens.

Tip from the editors. Cook the paste properly before it touches the bird, and use thighs if you are nervous: they stay moist at 150C.

Where to eat betutu

Betutu in Bali

Nasi Ayam Kedewatan Ibu Mangku (Ubud) ★ 4.1

$ BalineseUbud

Nasi Ayam Kedewatan Ibu Mangku has sold Balinese chicken rice since 1963 at its original warung on Jalan Raya Kedewatan near Ubud, Bali, from 07:00 to 21:00.

TryNasi campur ayam with ayam betutu, sate lilit and sayur urap

TipThis is the Ubud original. Branches run in Renon, Seminyak, Jimbaran and Kengetan, and plates start from about IDR 29,000.

Directions

Warung Mek Juwel ★ 4.1

$ BalineseUbud

Why locals goA one-dish family compound in Sayan, near Ubud, with rice-field views, serving nasi campur ayam with betutu and sate lilit for about IDR 30,000 a plate.

TipA plate costs about IDR 30,000. IDN Times Bali reports no pork in the cooking, though pork crackers are sold as a consigned extra.

Directions

Nasi Bali Men Weti ★ 4.2

$ BalineseSanur

Nasi Bali Men Weti serves chicken nasi campur from a plain warung beside Segara Ayu beach in Sanur, Bali, open since the 1970s and busy from early morning.

TryNasi campur ayam with betutu chicken, fried chicken skin and sate lilit

TipA queue forms from 07:00, an hour before the 08:00 opening. Plates start from about IDR 25,000 and the warung closes at 13:00.

Directions

Warung Indonesia (Kuta) ★ 3.7

$ IndonesianKuta Legian

Warung Indonesia serves nasi campur, ayam betutu, sate lilit and nasi goreng in the Poppies Lane II area of Kuta, Bali, from 10:00 to 23:30 every day.

TryNasi campur, ayam betutu and sate lilit

TipMain dishes cost about IDR 25,000 to 50,000, and the warung also takes large nasi kotak orders. It is within walking distance of Kuta Beach.

Directions

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